The Best Culinary Experiences of Canada

Which Canadian cities offer the best experiences for foodies?

In January 2025, over $8.25 billion was spent on food and drink services in Canada, an increase of 5.6% from January 2024 ($7.81 billion)1.

Whether you’re sampling some maple syrup from the forests of southern Quebec or some fresh fruit from the Niagara peninsula, Canada offers plenty of culinary delights. But which Canadian cities offer the best experiences for foodies?

The Journeyscape team has analysed various factors, such as food tours, highly rated restaurants, and cuisine availability, to determine which Canadian cities should be at the top of a foodie’s travel bucket list.

The best Canadian cities for an unforgettable culinary experience

1. Kelowna, British Colombia – 9.45/10 culinary score

Kelowna, known for its delicious wine and farm-to-table eating style, is the best Canadian city for foodies, earning a culinary score of 9.45 out of 10. Located in British Colombia, the city has over 400 restaurants, equating to 223.29 restaurants per 100,000 people. 

Over 57% of these restaurants are rated four or five stars, and there are almost 50 different cuisines to choose from, including Polish, Jamaican, German, Lebanese, and Irish. JOEY, Match Eatery & Public House, Gulfstream, Basil & Mint, and Bouchons Bistro are just some of the incredible restaurants located in the city.

On average, a three-course meal for two people costs around $95 (£51.54) in Kelowna. For anyone who wants an authentic foodie experience in the city, nine food tours are available, equating to 4.96 tours per 100,000 people. These tours allow visitors to sample local favourites such as fish and chips, juicy steak, and lobster ravioli.

2. Halifax, Nova Scotia – 9.38/10 culinary score

Next on the list, with a culinary score of 9.38 out of 10, is Halifax, known for its delicious lobster and scallops. Two diners can enjoy a three-course meal for around $90 (£48.83) in Halifax, making it slightly more affordable than Kelowna. 

The city, located in the province of Nova Scotia, is home to over 670 restaurants serving more than 60 different cuisines. For example, visitors can taste some of China’s most famous dishes at Canton Garden and The Orient, sample some authentic Vietnamese delicacies at Indochine Banh Mi and I Love Pho or devour a traditional Greek meal at Ela! or The Blue Olive. The Press Gang and Gio are great restaurant options for seafood lovers.

If you’re lucky enough to embark on one of Halifax’s four food tours, you might just be tempted to sample the city’s culinary delights even further at one of its four or five-star rated restaurants, making up over 47% of Halifax’s total eateries.

3.Quebec City, Quebec – 8.62/10 culinary score

Quebec City, known for its delicious maple syrup treats and poutine, places third with a culinary score of 8.62 out of 10. The city, which is the capital of Quebec province, has four food tours available, showcasing the area’s French-Canadian culture. 

Just like in Halifax, a three-course meal for two people costs around $90 in Quebec City. The area offers more than 50 different cuisines to sample, including Indian, Moroccan, Tunisian, Colombian, and Swiss. 

There are over 1,340 restaurants in Quebec City (182.91 per 100,000 people), with 45.41% rated four or five stars. If you want to sample some of the city’s authentic French cuisine, head to one of its top-rated French restaurants, such as Bistro La Cohue or Laurie Raphaël.

4. Edmonton, Alberta – 8.42/10 culinary score

Edmonton, known for its green onion cakes and Alberta beef, takes the number four spot, earning a culinary score of 8.42 out of 10. Located in Alberta, the city has an impressive 2,910 restaurants, equating to 252.68 restaurants per 100,000 people.

Edmonton offers over 70 different cuisines, including Japanese, Thai, Korean, Filipino, and Portuguese. Padmanadi, Hathaway’s Diner, Vaticano Cucina, SABOR, and Homefire Grill are just a handful of the amazing restaurants in Edmonton.

Similar to Halifax and Quebec City, a three-course meal for two people in Edmonton costs around $90. While there is only one food tour available in the city, the tour is carried out on e-bikes, offering visitors a truly unique experience. 

5. Victoria, British Colombia – 8.21/10 culinary score

Victoria places fifth, with a culinary score of 8.21 out of 10. Like Kelowna, Victoria is located in the British Colombia province. On average, a three-course meal for two people in the city costs around $110 (£59.68), making it one of the most expensive places on the list.

However, the delicious food on offer in Victoria is certainly worth the price. There are almost 700 restaurants to choose from, with 60 different cuisines available. For example, diners can taste some authentic Ethiopian dishes at Blue Nile and Messob Ethiopian Cuisine, sample some traditional Spanish delicacies at Bodega and Perro Negro, or devour some of the Caribbean’s most famous dishes at Fresko One World and Stir It Up.

Almost 60% of Victoria’s total eateries are rated four or five stars. To complete the ultimate foodie experience, head off on one of the city’s two food tours, which cater to both doughnut and wine lovers.

The best Michelin-starred restaurants in Canada

1. Okeya Kyujiro, Vancouver, British Colombia – 9.47/10 culinary score

Okeya Kyujiro tops the list as the best Michelin-starred restaurant in Canada, earning a culinary score of 9.47 out of 10. Although there are also sites in Montreal and Toronto, the Vancouver site is the only one to have received a Michelin star.

Okeya Kyujiro serves fresh, high-quality Japanese dishes. Its fish is acquired from all over the world, with some even imported from Japan. The menu consists of 20 dishes, including chawanmushi with crab, tempura sandbar fish, and spicy firefly squid.

But this Michelin-starred restaurant offers more than just delicious food. Throughout the meal, diners can experience traditional Japanese culture, such as authentic dining ware and cooking tools, and a sasagiri demonstration (bamboo leaf carving).

The restaurant has 4.8 out of five stars on Google and has accumulated over 57,000 searches in Canada over the last year. Okeya Kyujiro’s official Instagram account has over 45,200 followers.

1. Restaurant Pearl Morissette, Lincoln, Ontario – 9.47/10 culinary score

Restaurant Pearl Morissette, located in Lincoln, Ontario, also earned the top spot. This is the only Michelin-starred restaurant in Canada to receive more than one star: one for high-quality cooking and one for its commitment to sustainable practices.

The site is set over 42 acres in the stunning Niagara region and includes the restaurant itself, a winery, an orchard, a farm, and a bakery. It also has an extensive list of local companies that it partners with to supply it with produce, including multiple ranches, fishmongers, and cheesemakers.

Restaurant Pearl Morissette has an ever-changing fine-dining menu inspired by seasonal French cooking. A previous diner favourite is the free-range slow-roasted pork glazed with sweet potato miso and plated with hazelnut jus. 

The restaurant has almost 44,000 Instagram followers and receives a rating of 4.8 out of five on Google. Over the past year, more than 69,400 searches were made for Restaurant Pearl Morissette in Canada.

3. Alo, Toronto, Ontario – 9.20/10 culinary score

Alo is in third place, with a culinary score of 9.20 out of 10. The restaurant, located in Ontario’s capital, Toronto, opened in July 2015 and will be celebrating its ten-year anniversary this year.

Set atop a heritage building in the downtown area, Alo’s dishes are internationally inspired and celebrate the finest seasonal ingredients. The restaurant offers multiple dining options, including multi-course tasting menus and à la carte options. 

The private dining room houses its own dedicated kitchen and bar and is perfect for big celebrations. Guests can choose from two distinct experiences: the tasting menu or the premium sharing menu. Alternatively, the bar offers either a six-course tasting menu or à la carte dishes accompanied by the finest cocktails.

Alo has 4.6 out of five stars on Google and has garnered an impressive 175,500 searches in Canada over the last year. The restaurant’s official Instagram account has over 48,600 followers, the biggest follower count on the list.

4. Published on Main, Vancouver, British Colombia – 8.93/10 culinary score

Next on the list is Published on Main, which earned a culinary score of 8.93 out of 10. The restaurant, located in Vancouver, is run by an excellent team, including executive chef Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson, who won Chef of the Year in 2022, and wine director Jayton Paul, who won Michelin Sommelier of the Year in the same year.

Published on Main’s decor is inspired by 18th-century English coffeehouses and is divided into two separate areas. The front of the restaurant uses pale green tones, a suspended plant canopy, and counter-height seating to create a casual and welcoming atmosphere. In contrast, the rear dining area uses dark tones and traditional panelling to create a more intimate space for evening meals.

Published on Main offers contemporary dishes with a focus on local and sustainable, supporting local farms and producers. Although the restaurant’s menu changes seasonally, previous dishes include a chilled scallop with turbo bc citrus dressing, nashi and kohlrabi, winter squash with pepita miso and koji butter sauce, and side stripe prawns with cucumber, horseradish and apple.

Published on Main has over 39,100 Instagram followers and receives a rating of 4.4 out of five on Google. Over the past year, more than 276,200 searches were made for the restaurant, making it the most-searched establishment on the list.

5. Edulis, Toronto, Ontario – 8.53/10 culinary score

Edulis rounds off the top five Michelin-starred restaurants in Canada with a culinary score of 8.53 out of 10. Located in Toronto, it’s the only restaurant on the list to offer Mediterranean cuisine, making it all the more special.

Edulis is owned by a husband-and-wife chef duo and aims to highlight the pleasure of gathering around a table with family and friends to enjoy a delicious feast. The restaurant’s small size helps to create a cosy and friendly atmosphere.

The menu at Edulis changes seasonally and draws on the owners’ love for traditional Spanish cooking. It focuses on seafood, wild mushrooms, and other vegetables. The team works closely with local farmers, fishmongers, foragers, and suppliers to create dishes such as Mahone Bay scallops with wild onion and Newfoundland cod with Manila clams and Butifarra sausage.

Edulis has 4.7 out of five stars on Google and accumulated almost 200,000 searches in Canada over the last year. The restaurant’s official Instagram account has over 22,400 followers.

5. Kissa Tanto, Vancouver, British Colombia – 8.53/10 culinary score

Fifth place is also given to Kissa Tanto, the only Michelin-starred fusion restaurant in Canada. The eatery is tucked into the upper story of a faded building in the Chinatown area of Vancouver.

Kissa Tanto combines the delicate flavours of Japan with the warmth of Italian cooking to provide an intimate and special dining experience. The restaurant’s interior and atmosphere are inspired by 1960s jazz cafes in Tokyo, showcasing white mosaic floors, antique Japanese panels, and steel-coloured walls filled with artwork and photos.

To start, diners can sample fried olives stuffed with yuzu and smoked chilli sausage, crispy smoked octopus with fresh and pickled radishes, parsley and chilli purée, or burrata salad with organic beets, Fall chicories, minted soy emulsion, and amazake dressing. For the main event, guests can be wowed by dishes such as an organic whole chicken with shio koji dipping sauce and herbed oil, a whole fried fish with daikon soy dipping sauce, or Dungeness crab, prawns and squid with Calabrian chilli butter.

Kissa Tanto’s official Instagram account has over 28,500 followers, and the restaurant is rated 4.5 out of five stars. Over the last year, almost 255,000 searches were made for Kissa Tanto in Canada.

Methodology:

Cities

We began by using City Population to create a seed list of the 30 largest cities in Canada.

Next, we used Tripadvisor to collect the following factors for each city: the total number of restaurants, the percentage of restaurants rated four or five stars, the number of cuisines available, and the number of food tours available.

We then used Numbeo to discover the average price of a three-course meal for two people at a mid-range restaurant in each city.

Finally, we gave each of the five factors a normalised score out of 10 before taking an average across all factors to form our culinary score.

Michelin-starred restaurants

We began by using the Michelin Guide to create a seed list of the 26 restaurants in Canada that currently have at least one Michelin star.

Next, we used Instagram to collect each restaurant’s follower count on the platform.

We then used Google Keyword Planner to gather the number of searches made for each restaurant between March 2024 and February 2025.

Next, we used Google to collect each restaurant’s review score out of five.

Finally, we gave each of the three factors a normalised score out of 10 before taking an average across all factors to form our culinary score.